2 Best Architecture Firms in London

With so many architecture firms to choose from, it’s challenging for clients to identify the industry leaders that will be an ideal fit for their project needs. Fortunately, Architizer is able to provide guidance on the top design firms in London based on more than a decade of data and industry knowledge.

How are these architecture Firms ranked?

The following ranking has been created according to key statistics that demonstrate each Firm’s level of architectural excellence. The following metrics have been accumulated to establish each architecture Firm’s ranking, in order of priority:

• The number of A+Awards finalists (2013 to 2022)
• The number of projects selected as “Featured Project” (2009 to 2022)
• The number of projects selected as “Project of the Day” (2009 to 2022)
• The number of projects uploaded to Architizer (2009 to 2022)
• The number of A+Awards won (2013 to 2022)

Each of these metrics is explained in more detail at the foot of this article. This ranking list will be updated annually, taking into account new achievements of London architecture firms throughout the year.

Without further ado, here are the 2 best architecture firms in London:

2. Arup Architecture

Arup Associates is the architecture practice of Arup. Set up in 1963 and underpinned by Ove Arup’s belief that built space will be inspirational when all of its components work in harmony, our holistic design approach integrates expertise from the diverse range of specialists and the amassed body of knowledge across Arup. The practice has repeatedly won awards for our projects on the basis of the exceptional standards that they set.

Some of Arup Architecture’s most prominent projects include:

• ?BIKIDOUGH?, Shanghai, China
• Embassy Gardens – Legacy Buildings, London, United Kingdom
• Nordic Music Acoustic Center, Reykjavik, Iceland
• Royal Arena, København S, København, Denmark
• Singapore Sports Hub, Singapore
• The Smile, London, United Kingdom
• Villa Clessidra – an atmospheric sanctuary, Netherlands
• YUJIAPU TRAFFIC HUB, Tianjin, China

The following statistics helped Arup Architecture achieve 2nd place in the 2 Best Architecture Firms in London:

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1. Heatherwick Studio

Heatherwick Studio is a team of 180 problem solvers dedicated to making the physical world around us better for everyone.

Based out of our combined workshop and design studio in Central London, we create buildings, spaces, master-plans, objects and infrastructure. Focusing on large scale projects in cities all over the world, we prioritise those with the greatest positive social impact.

Working as practical inventors with no signature style, our motivation is to design soulful and interesting places which embrace and celebrate the complexities of the real world.

Some of Heatherwick Studio’s most prominent projects include:

• Bombay Sapphire Distillery , Hampshire, United Kingdom
• Bund Finance Centre, Shanghai, China
• Coal Drops Yard, London, United Kingdom
• Learning Hub, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
• Maggie’s Centre, Leeds, United Kingdom
• Pier55, New York, NY, United States
• UK Pavilion, Shanghai, China
• Vessel, New York, NY, United States
• Zeitz MOCAA, Cape Town, South Africa

The following statistics helped Heatherwick Studio achieve 1st place in the 2 Best Architecture Firms in London:

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Why Should I Trust Architizer’s Ranking?

With more than 30,000 architecture firms and over 130,000 projects within its database, Architizer is proud to host the world’s largest online community of architects and building product manufacturers. Its celebrated A+Awards program is also the largest celebration of architecture and building products, with more than 400 jurors and hundreds of thousands of public votes helping to recognize the world’s best architecture each year.

Architizer also powers firm directories for a number of AIA (American Institute of Architects) Chapters nationwide, including the official directory of architecture firms for AIA New York.

A Guide to Project Awards

The blue “”+”” badge denotes that a project has won a prestigious A+Award as described above. Hovering over the badge reveals details of the award, including award category, year, and whether the project won the jury or popular choice award.

The orange Project of the Day and yellow Featured Project badges are awarded by Architizer’s Editorial team, and are selected based on a number of factors. The following factors increase a project’s likelihood of being featured or awarded Project of the Day status:

• Project completed within the last 3 years
• A well written, concise project description of at least 3 paragraphs
• Architectural design with a high level of both functional and aesthetic value
• High quality, in focus photographs
• At least 8 photographs of both the interior and exterior of the building
• Inclusion of architectural drawings and renderings
• Inclusion of construction photographs

There are 7 Projects of the Day each week and a further 31 Featured Projects. Each Project of the Day is published on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Stories, while each Featured Project is published on Facebook. Each Project of the Day also features in Architizer’s Weekly Projects Newsletter and shared with 170,000 subscribers.

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We’re constantly look for the world’s best architects to join our community. If you would like to understand more about this ranking list and learn how your Firm can achieve a presence on it, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at editorial@architizer.com.